Salman confident of Pakistan’s success in Asia Cup despite Babar, Rizwan absence

DUBAI: Pakistan's T20I captain Salman Ali Agha on Tuesday expressed his determination to deliver a strong performance in the Asia Cup 2025, stating that the team’s performance remains satisfactory even without Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.

Speaking to the media during the trophy unveiling ceremony in Dubai, Salman emphasised that the team’s overall performance has improved and that the entire squad is motivated and eager to excel in the upcoming tournament.

"I think we are playing good cricket. We started a few months ago, and now things are coming together. As a team, we are playing well and looking forward to this tournament. Everyone is very excited," Salman said.

In response to a question about competing in the Asia Cup without Babar and Rizwan, Salman acknowledged that while their absence makes the tournament more challenging, the team is fully prepared to rise to the occasion.

"It’s been good. We’ve been playing good cricket for the last four months. We won three out of four series, so we are doing really well as a team. At the same time, we are very excited. For many of us, it will be our first tournament of this magnitude, but we are ready for the challenge," he added.

Earlier, the Asia Cup 2025 trophy was unveiled in Dubai, with Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi in attendance.

Captains of all participating teams, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE, Hong Kong, and Oman, were present at the event, posing for photographs with the trophy.

It is pertinent to mention that the 15th edition of the men’s Asia Cup will be played in the T20I format, featuring eight teams Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Oman, UAE and Hong Kong, divided into two groups.

Meanwhile, India are placed in Group A alongside Oman, Pakistan and the hosts UAE.

They open their campaign against UAE on September 10 in Dubai, face arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14 at the same venue, and round off the group stage against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.

Group B features Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka. The top two teams from each group will progress to the Super Four stage, with the top two from that round contesting the final on September 28.